Michelin joins S.C. officials in calling for people to follow COVID 19 safety advice

One of South Carolina’s largest manufacturing companies is joining the chorus of officials calling for people to follow coronavirus safety guidelines.

Michelin North America President and Chair Alexis Garcin held a Thursday press conference in Greenville standing beside state education and health officials calling for South Carolinians to wear masks, socially distance and avoid large crowds to blunt the spread of COVID 19.

“A second shutdown would have a dramatic effect on our economy, not to mention the lives of our friends, family (and) neighbors,” Garcin said.

“We strongly urge our neighbors to remain vigilant and observe safety protocols as COVID 19 surges across the state,” Garcin said.

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Epidemiologist Linda Bell and S.C. Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman also gave speeches at the event, urging the public to follow safety procedures in order to get students back to in-person classes.

“Frankly, not enough people are wearing masks or socially distancing,” Bell said. “We must get these escalating numbers in control.”

The stakes for not controlling the spread of coronavirus are high, Spearman and Bell said. If the state fails to control the spread of coronavirus, the economy could see another downturn; hospitals could be overloaded as flu season approaches and children could miss out on vital in-person education and building social skills, they said.

“All of us know that our children need to be back in school safely and as quickly as possible,” Spearman said.

“Listen to Dr. Bell,” Spearman said.

Statewide, Michelin employs more than 8,000 people, according to the company’s website. According to Zippia, a careers website, Michelin has the second-most employees in the state, a distant second to food packaging company Cryovac, which employs 23,000 people, according to Zippia.

Wearing masks has been seen by some as a partisan political issue, according to The Washington Post. However, Garcin says his urging to wear masks is about making people healthy.

“Let me be clear, this is not a political statement,” Garcin said. “This is a human statement.”